Giáo án Skills 1

Ss activate prior knowledge about city traffic problems and get ready to read for evidence.

T shows a photo-free question list on the board: 'What causes traffic congestion near your school gate?' 'How do people get around your city?' 'Which is better, more cars or more buses? Why?' Ss answer in pairs and share one idea with the class. T writes the key word congestion on the board and introduces the topic of the lesson: Read for evidence.

A list of 3 to 5 causes of congestion and 2 ways people get around the city, written on the board by Ss (for example: many parents drive their children to school; the buses are few; people walk or cycle when the roads are safe).

Ss identify the central activity, the actions and the reasons in the passage, and distinguish a proposal from a proven result.

Ss read the passage about Quang's group once for the main idea, then reread and complete Worksheet 1. Key strategy from the lesson: first identify the central activity; then underline actions (what happened) and reasons (why) separately; use a negative detail to reject an attractive but inaccurate option (for example, 'They did not collect drivers' names').

Completed Worksheet 1 with the following answers:

• Central activity: counting cars, buses and bicycles near the school gate for three mornings to study congestion.
• Actions: they counted vehicles; they proposed a shared bus and a walking zone; they added a covered waiting area; the school asked for a comparison after a four-week trial.
• Reasons: congestion near the gate; many cars carried only one pupil; some parents worried about bad weather; they wanted to make one short journey safer and less noisy.
• Proposal, not proven result: the plan did not promise to remove every traffic problem.

Ss form and use double comparatives to express linked change, and use the phrasal verbs get around, carry out and cut down on.

T presents the structure: the + comparative clause, the + comparative clause. Example: 'The more people use buses, the less crowded the roads become.' T highlights the error 'more safer' and explains that more is not used with an -er form. Ss complete the example: 'The more people walk, ___ cars we need.' Answer: the fewer, because cars is a countable plural noun. Ss then learn the vocabulary: congestion (tình trạng ùn tắc), public transport (giao thông công cộng), liveable (đáng sống), construction site (công trường xây dựng), and the phrasal verbs get around (travel), carry out (conduct), cut down on (reduce).

Ss can write the following in their notebooks:

• Structure: The + comparative, the + comparative (for example: The more buses we use, the less congestion we have.)
• Example answer: The more people walk, the fewer cars we need.
• Vocabulary: Congestion delays the morning bus. Public transport can reduce traffic. A liveable city has safe public spaces. A construction site must be fenced.
• Phrasal verbs: We can get around by bike. The group carried out a survey. The school wants to cut down on traffic near the gate.

Ss apply reading strategies to answer comprehension questions and check their understanding of the key language.

Ss complete the following tasks from the textbook, using Worksheet 2 and the NeoEdu interactive exercises:

1. Which title best fits the passage? A. Testing a safer journey (the best fit: the text centres on a trial to make one short journey safer).
2. Give only the first name of the central student. Answer: Quang.
3. Which action is supported by the text? The text says the group did not collect drivers' names, so the supported action is counting vehicles from a safe position inside the school.
4. Judge the statements: a) The activity takes place near the school gate: True. b) The group collected drivers' names: False. c) The plan promised to remove every traffic problem: False.
5. Explain the purpose of the main action in one or two sentences. Answer: The group counted vehicles to find evidence of congestion, so the school could make one short journey safer and less noisy.
6. In 'they counted cars', 'they' refers to Quang's group.
7. Give a one-minute oral summary using the participants, the place, the action, the result and the proposal.

Completed answers for Worksheet 2 with the answers above. In the oral summary, Ss include: the participants (Quang's group), the place (near the school gate), the action (counting vehicles for three mornings), the proposal (a shared bus, a walking zone and a covered waiting area) and the limitation (the plan does not promise to remove every traffic problem).

Ss give a supported one-minute talk about a city problem and two possible solutions, using evidence from the passage and separating proposals from proven results.

Ss work in groups of three. Each S chooses one city problem (for example: congestion, noise, lack of public spaces) and prepares short notes: introduction, specific details, reasoned conclusion. Each talk must include: two possible solutions, evidence from the passage, a statement that distinguishes the proposal from a proven result, and one limitation. Model: 'Quang's group observed congestion near school. A shared bus could reduce the number of cars, while a walking zone could make a short journey safer. These are proposals to test, not proof that every traffic problem will disappear.' Ss may use phrases such as get around, carry out and cut down on, and at least one double comparative. Homework option: Ss record a 1-minute video of their talk.

Short notes for each S (about 5 lines) and a one-minute talk. Example product: 'Our city has congestion near the market. A shared bus could cut down on the number of cars. A walking zone could make the journey safer. These are proposals to test, not proof. The limitation is that the bus may be full in rush hour. The more buses we use, the fewer cars we need.'